About the 4S SymposiumIn 2012 the Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium (The 4S Symposium), will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. The maturity of the event is marked by the close cooperation with two other prominent Small Satellite conferences: The Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation (IAA and DLR) and The Small Satellites Conference (AIAA and USU). The information synergies and idea exchange originating from these close links ensure high standard of contributions and a very wide attendance.

Small Satellites in Big SystemsManaging the ever increasing complexity of our lives in a global village needs more complex systems. In the last decades developed nations have jointly used their resources to cope with events on a global scale. Any available resource which may produce data is exploited to provide faster and more complete information. The reliance on satellite data is of paramount importance to accomplish these tasks. Small Satellites, even with a single payload, multiply the throughput of larger and distributed systems. Examples already exist: GPS occultations which complement temperature measurements coming from meteorological satellites, Automatic Identification Signal monitoring to aid maritime traffic services. New objectives can be achieved complementing larger systems with data acquired by Small Satellites.

The 4S Symposium of 2012 will address questions as:

What are the synergies which could be established between Small Satellites and other systems that enhance
the overall return?

What are the technology developments needed to achieve such synergies?

What are the lessons we can learn from recent experiences of small satellites complementing existing services?

ProgrammeThe special topic of 2012: Small Satellites, Big Systems will be addressed in a dedicated session. Contributions from missions where small satellites are part of a bigger system are highly welcome. Invited speakers will be selected to stimulate discussion and a debate on this specific topic.
The programme will address: Mission and System Analysis; Applications such as Earth Observation, Science, Telecommunication and Navigation; New Technologies at system, sub-system and component level. A special session will be dedicated to discuss problematic related to access to space of Small Satellites, as launchers, platform cross-compatibility, and debris mitigation policies.